In The News

The Stories Your Trailers Tell

Truckload Authority Magazine

March 1, 2015

By Dorothy Cox, Micah Jackson and Raelee Toye Jackson

Trailers are talking, and what tales they're telling: thousands of miles of open road (and not-so-open road), crossing borders and withstanding hostile climates -- and sometimes, even hostile criminals. Now, for the first time, we can hear and see their stories -- all in real time, thanks to today's trailer tracking technology.

And we can "mine" these stories to better manage our businesses.

"Not so many years ago, carriers bought extra trailers to take care of their customers. Trailers were affordable, drivers were plentiful and there was a good balance of equipment and available tonnage to haul," said Henry Popplewell, senior vice president and general manager of SkyBitz.

Now, he said, trailers are more costly, good drivers are dwindling and more difficult to retain, and carriers are struggling to squeeze every penny of savings and every iota of efficiency from their operations.

It's a different playing field altogether, and although thwarting cargo theft will continue to be important (it's still a $50 billion-a-year crime in the U.S.), technology providers and fleets alike are realizing "what a gold mine of information" trailer-tracking technology is providing, Popplewell said.